Children of Circumstance
by Antiope
Summary: [AU after Dark Frontier episodes]REVISED! The Voyager crew is thrown into chaos as four mysterious exBorg youths are taken on board. They are far too secretive for Janeyway's liking. But she doesn't know the half of it...
1. Chapter 1

Star Trek: Voyager is copyright Paramount and Viacom. I claim and own no rights to ST:V. No similarities to any other fics intended.

REVISED!

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Star Trek: Voyager

Children of Circumstance

Chapter 1

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The silence of space was disrupted by the sound of phaser fire. A small craft came out of warp and continued through space. Seconds later, a bright green light appeared, and a Borg cube emerged, firing repeatedly at the vessel. A young girl stood at the control console of the ship, her fingers moving furiously over the buttons. Another phaser blast hit the ship, and she was almost thrown to the floor. The bridge was a wreck, pieces of deck plates and other debris lay scattered everywhere, and computer consoles exploded after every hit.

"Computer," the girl yelled over the noise, continuing after the acknowledgement ping from the computer, "record the following message and repeat it every ten seconds on all sub-space frequencies. This is the commander of Carrier Vessel Grynnal 3 to any ships within range. We are under attack and are requesting assistance. End message."

"Repeating message on all sub-space frequencies," the computer informed her. Another blast shook the ship, and she clutched the control panel, her knuckles white from the strain. The sliding doors connecting the bridge to the rest of the ship slide open.

A young girl, a year or so younger than the first, ran into the room. The newcomer shook her blonde hair out of her face. "The others are secure. Now let's go. There is nothing left."

"No," the other girl cried, "If I don't disable the cube, everything we have accomplished was for nothing. Now go join the others."

The girl ignored her order and took the computer console to the left. The commander turned. "I gave you a direct order Evara, now go."

Evara looked up at the girl. "What about you? You are not safe here." A phaser blast shook the ship again and the systems consoles began to flicker. Evara looked down at the screen. "Primary systems are going offline. Shields are at thirty-five percent. Switching to Secondary systems. Attempting to re-route all non-essential power to the shields."

The commander glanced up from the sensor readings and said,"I am going to transfer power from life support systems. The stasis pods are powered independently from the rest of the ship, so you and the others should be fine, but you must return to the medical bay at once."

"But what about you?"

"My safety is irrelevant. Now go!"

Evara hesitated for several seconds, but exited just as another blast hit the ship.

"Computer, transfer life support power to the shields!" the woman cried, her black hair rioting forward as the ship was rocked with another weapon's blast.

Using what was left of weapon's power, the girl input shield modulations, targeting the ship's phasers to the Cube's shield matrix. For a moment, the young woman watched the Borg shields flicker. "Computer," the commander cried, "transport the three remaining torpedoes to the Borg cube, and set them to detonate 10 seconds after transport. Be ready to go to warp four on my mark."

"Transport complete. Waiting for your command to enter warp," the computer said. The girl watched the view screen, mentally counting down.

"We are Borg," the Cube told her, hundreds of voices as one.

"I know," the girl stated angrily through gritted teeth. "I know all to well." She watched as the Borg cube exploded. The shock of the explosion rocked the smaller ship violently, and the girl was thrown to the floor. "Go to warp now," she screamed, just as another shock wave rocked the ship, and knocked her unconscious. The ship zoomed into warp, but the bridge remained cluttered and loud with small explosions.

The sliding doors opened, and Evara rushed in. Evara screamed the young woman's name over the commotion, and spied her behind the main control console. Evara put her hands under the woman's arms and dragged her slowly out of the room, backwards. "Computer, activate fire safety and regeneration protocols once all crew are in stasis and head toward the nearest vessel. Reinitialize life support to the ship and recessitate Grynnal crew in the event of a Borg cube confrontation. Authorization, Evara Nine Beta Zero One." She heard a ping noise, the acknowledgement from the computer, and continued out of the bridge.

Several light years away...

"Captain," Tuvok said, "We are receiving a distress signal from an alien ship approximately five light years from our present location."

Captain Kathryn Janeway looked up from her position in her command seat. "Well, let's hear it."

"This is the commander of Carrier Vessel Grynnal 3 to any ships within range. We are under attack and are requesting assistance." The message had minimal sub-space distortion causing the voice to echo in and out, but could be understood clearly.

"Any indication of a ship, or debris?" Janeway asked.

"Yes Captain," Harry informed her, analyzing the data from his console and stiffened visably, "Scanners are detecting a massive field of debris ahead, but sensors confirm that the message is originating several light years away from the field's location. Captain," Harry called out anxiously, "the signature from the debris is definitely Borg."

Janeway and Chakotay shared twin expressions of alarm. Standing quickly, Janeway called out sharply, "Red alert." Her eyes adjusted quickly as the bridge darkened and the red alert klaxon flared, the bleeping noises echoing across the deck. "Find the Grynnal ship, and see if she still needs help."

Harry Kim looked down at his screen. "Captain, I am reading a ship not far from Grynnal's last position traveling at warp four."

"Go after it Mr. Paris."

Tom Paris turned to his helm control panel and entered several coordinates, then called out with a touch of amusement, "I won't have to Captain, the ship is heading in our direction. The ship has sistained heavy damage, and the navigational systems seem to be in control of their flight path."

"Then let's meet them have halfway, but be cautious Mr. Paris, we don't want an errand of mercy to turn out to be another battle for our lives," Janeway ordered softly.

"Yes ma'am," Tom Paris replied.

"Maintain continuous scans of the area Mr. Kim, I don't want to run into the Borg anytime soon,"

Janeway commanded quickly, and resumed her seat.

"Aye aye ma'am," Kim acknowledged.

"Maintain red alert Mr. Tuvok," Janeway ordered, "at least until we can be certain that the Borg are nowhere near this area. I don't want to be caught off guard."

"Captain, the Grynnal 3 has dropped out of warp, three hundred kilometers starboard. The craft isn't in any of the computer's databases," Harry called out.

Janeway leaned forward in her seat. "On screen."

A small brown craft with a rotating circular engine appeared on screen. The outer hull was laced with phaser burns, and missing hull plates.

"It's suffered heavy damage on the outer hull, primary systems and weapons are offline. Lifesupport seems to be the only system working at near full efficiency," Tuvok informed her.

Janeway gazed at the smaller vessel on the veiwscreen, a small frown on her face. "Life signs?"

"There are four life signs coming from within the alien ship, and one of them is extremely faint," Tuvok replied.

"Tuvok, assemble a rescue and repair team, see if they need help."

Tuvok nodded, "Ensign Kim, Seven of Nine, with me." The three entered the turbolift, and with a nod to Seven, the former Borg drone called out a command to the turbolift.

"Transporter Room Two."

Tuvok touched down on his com badge. "Tuvok to Lieutenant Torres and the Doctor. Meet me at Transporter Room Two." Both crew members responded quickly.

The five were transported to the Grynnal. B'Elanna looked around. "Looks like this ship's had one hell of a fight." The corridors were dark, with deep blue lights flashing in a lazy pattern. The walls were lined with burns and the smell of smoke. They took out their tricorders and scanned the area.

"Life signs are this way," Harry told them.

Seven of Nine frowned slightly as her tricorder sent out an alarm beep, and reanalyzed the findings before commenting bemusedly, "Scans indicate that the ship's circuitry and infrastructure have been modified by Borg technology. Several of the modified systems I can not identify, but have an obvious Borg signature."

B'Elanna examined her tricorder readings. "You're right. Readings indicate that the modifications were implemented very recently, most of the systems are still operating on alien backup algorithms."

"We must find this vessel's crew, they may be able to shed some light on what has happened here," Tuvok intoned patiently.

They followed the scans down several twisting corridors before the readings lead them to a large set of automatic sliding doors. "This is where all four life signs are located."

When the crew attempted to walk through the doors, they refused to open. B'Elanna frowned impatiently. "Looks like some of the power grids on the ship are offline."

"Begin working on the manual override," Tuvok ordered stoically. He moved to a side console embedded in the wall several feet away from the inoperable doors. The computer console was still working and Tuvok studied the text thanks to the universal translator and began downloading data from the computer.

"Commander!" B'Elanna called out, as the doors slid open a few centimeters. With Tuvok and Harry's help, the door was pushed open seconds later.

"Lieutenant Torres, Ensign Kim" Tuvok prompted, "continue to the engine room, and begin repairs if you can."

B'Elanna nodded, and continued on to see how the engine room was holding up, Harry following behind, his tricorder open and constantly scanning his surroundings.

Together Tuvok, Seven of Nine and the Doctor entered the room. It was large, nearly the size of a standard cargo bay, with large monitor stations set back against the far wall to the right. A command console stood directly beside the door, apparently a secondary station and a quick access to the main controls. Against the wall immediately to the left of the door, there were medical panels and medical tools. To their right there were experiment labs and tables. In front of them, against the wall were five pod chambers.

The Doctor hurried toward the pods, and scanned. "The four life signs are here. One is in need of medical attention, but the others, for the most part are fine, just a few minor wounds and broken limbs, nothing too serious."

The Doctor moved to the first pod and began to wipe the ice film that had developed on the glass.

He stared down at the form in the pod. "Commander, you need to see this." Tuvok strode quickly to the Doctor's side and looked over his shoulder at the pod inhabitant. His usual frown deepened. "Seven."

Seven walked forward and stared down at the image of a very human black haired, adolescent girl. Her face was pale, almost startlingly so against the darkness of her hair and the smudges under her eyes. She looked almost dead. But what most caught Seven's attention was the cortical stimulator located directly above and to the side of her left eye. The implant was similar to her own, except it was smaller, much less dominating the left half of her forehead, and followed the delicate line of a jet black eyebrow. The implant had a sleeker look, almost as if the girl was trying to create her own perverse trend. "Borg implants. This girl was once Borg. She has been freed from the collective." Seven walked to each pod and wiped the ice from the surfaces. "It is the same with the other three. They were all once Borg," Seven said thoughtfully.

The Doctor peered down at the black haired girl in the first pod. Her implant blinked a green light slowly at him, proof positive at least, that she was still alive. Her left arm, from elbow to fingers, was outlined in machine-like cords, much like Seven's hand, and nearly as thin as wire.

Tuvok activated his com. "Captain, we have found the Grynnal crew. They are in stasis; three of them have suffered several minor injuries. The fourth will require immediate medical attention and I recommend that they be transported to Sick Bay with the doctor. However, due to the delicate nature of the situation, I believe a security team should be stationed within Sick Bay."

"Delicate?" Chakotay asked, curiosity coating his question.

"The Grynnal crew is made up of four adolescents, two male, two female, and they all have identifiable Borg implants on their bodies."

On the bridge, Janeway and Chakotay gazed at each other, confusion rocking them both. Janeway called out, "Borg implants? Four children, freed from the collective, being pursued across space? But why would the Collective be interesting in a group of four youths? They have never been one to give up, but four? In a population of billions? They are wasting valuable resources chasing them down, why?"

"Why indeed?" Tuvok echoed, "but the answers lie within the Grynnal crew, and will only be answered once they recieve the necessary medical attention."

"Acknowledged," Janeway said.

The Doctor shifted his weight in agitation from one foot to the other, and asked Tuvok, "Commander, do you really think it is necessary to use such extremes to monitor four incapacitated teenagers?"

Tuvok gazed down his formidable nose at the Doctor, and answered in a patronizing tone, "Yes Doctor, I do. These adolescents may be incapacitated for the moment, but they will not remain so. We do not know how these children ended up in this section of the Delta Quadrant, or why the Borg were pursuing them. Without the answers, Doctor, it will be safe to assume that they are dangerous, and the possibility of a trap is highly logical."

"If you say so Commander," the Doc grumbled, more upset as to the disruption of his sickbay, than the possible threat to his person. He was a hologram after all, there was little the four adolescents could do to him. He had to concede the danger to the crew, who of course didn't share his "immunities." Positioning himself in front of the four inhabited pods, he clicked his com. "Five to beam up." The Doctor and the four pods disappeared in a flash of blue and white.

Tuvok activated his com. "Ensign Kim, Lieutenant Torres, are the engines operable?"

Two decks down, B'Elanna looked at the charred engine, and back at Harry, who had a defeated look on his emotionally open face.

"Well, it will take some time to repair," she answered, "but none of the primary systems have been irretrievably damaged. I'll need better tools then what I have to complete repairs. I have to return to Voyager."

"Yes, we are returning to the ship as well. Continue repairs when you can. The Captain will assign a repair team to assist you. Tuvok out." He looked at Seven and nodded. They walked out of the room together and continued down the corridor.

A/N: Revised! Kudos and hugs to Frek, for helping me, thanks a million! I will have the rest of the chapters revised and reposted when I can, because my spurts of inspiration hit me at different and short intervals. Graze tanto and please R/R! P


	2. Chapter 2

Star Trek: Voyager is copyright Paramount and Viacom. I claim and own no rights to ST:V. No similarities to any other fics intended.

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Star Trek: Voyager

Children of Circumstance

Chapter 2

Janeway sat behind her desk in her ready room, reviewing the report just handed to her by Tuvok. Her eyes skimmed the many paragraphs, pausing briefly on one in particular. She gripped her coffee mug in her hand and absently sipped it. "So," she said finally, looking up from the data pad at her two commanders, Tuvok and Chakotay, "were you able to find any information as to the origins of these four children?"

"No Captain. The Computer's database on the Grynnal ship was heavily damaged. Once B'Elanna is further along in her repairs, we may be able to download the data on the ship's mission, the experiments conducted on board, perhaps even the crew logs...if the Borg children thought to keep any." Tuvok straightened his tall posture even more. "It is quite perplexing."

"Oh?" Janeway asked, her face set in a genuinely curious expression.

"Initial scans taken from the four pods revealed four normal humanoid life signs. There were no indications of Borg technology apparent from the readings, yet they all have the obvious visible signs of Borg implants. I am reluctant to think that the readings were malfunctions on the part of the tricorders," Tuvok's face was etched in the closest thing to worry his Vulcan mind allowed. "These...adolescents, may be here to led us into a trap."

"But why the deception? The Borg has always been straightforward about wanting to assimilate us. Ever since our altercation with Unimatrix Zero One, we have been on alert status. Five Borg attacks in the past six months alone," Chakotay reasoned.

"All the more reason to assume they have changed their tactics," Tuvok said.

Janeway looked down at the pad, then away. "Agreed. Such a scenerio is the most logical choice, but I will reserve judgment until I have spoken with them. If the ship's data helps at all, we will take action accordingly. For now, they will remain in sickbay," she stood up, a dry smile on her face, "as our temporary guests until this matter is resolved."

Tuvok nodded. He and Chakotay left on Janeway's dismissal. The Captain resumed her seat and looked down at the data pad again, a frown on her face.

"The Doctor to Captain Janeway."

Janeway looked up. "Janeway here."

"Can you please report to Sick Bay at your earliest convenience?"

Janeway looked at the pad, then stood. "I'm on my way."

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The Doctor stood over the injured female when Janeway entered. "Yes Doctor?"

"Ah, Captain," the Doctor replied, moving away from the surgical bed and passed through a force field, flickering from his movements. "I have treated the female Borg for her injuries. There was some internal bleeding, a mild concussion, and several broken bones, and ruptured organs. She and the Grynnal crew are now in near perfect health. As for their abnormalities..."

Janeway looked sharply away from studying the four sedated teens and eyed the Doctor. "Abnormalities?"

"Yes," the Doctor said, leading her to the Medical Console and pushed several controls. A picture of cells appeared on the screen. Janeway watched as several red cells floated through the screen, then stiffened as cells that looked like complex mechanical structures floated into view. The Doctor noted Janeway's reaction. He continued. "These cells are like nothing I have ever seen. They aren't attached to the cells, as a occurs during Borg assimilation, but rather are a part of the cell. Almost as if encoded. An impossibility I know, as machinery can not be graphed into a living human cell, but it is the only explanation I can come up with. I have to say Captain...these Borg children are unique...extremely unique. Their Borg implants leave no signature recognized by a tricorder, which is a puzzle within itself."

Janeway walked over to stand just before the force field surrounding the surgical table. "Can you revive her? I want to speak to her myself. She seems to be the oldest, most likely the one in charge. I believe that we will have much to talk about."

The Doctor nodded and entered the force field with a hypospray. He placed it against the girl's neck and pressed down. There was a hiss, then they watched as the girl's eyes fluttered open. Seconds later, she was sitting straight up in bed, eyeing the Doctor and Janeway with expressionless eyes.

Janeway's face was set in a scowl. "I am Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager. We received your distress call and are currently repairing your ship in our shuttle bay."

The girl said nothing, but looked over at the other three biobeds, and her posture relaxed somewhat, as she saw the three others there.

Janeway inspected the girl, noting her defensive posture, and intelligent eyes. "We have a few questions for you to answer, if you would be so kind."

The girl seemed to considered for several seconds, then nodded.

"How did you manage to escape the Borg?" Janeway realized that this wasn't the most important question to be asked, but she wanted the girl's guard down.

The Borg girl seemed to collect her voice before replying. "Approximately six months ago we managed to commandeer a vessel while the Borg were busy assimilating another species. We were chased all the way here by two Borg Cubes, one we destroyed with the help of several of the species we managed to salvage from the assimilation rooms. After taking them to a rendezvous point with another vessel of their species, we managed to get through the shields of the remaining Cube and detonated several torpedoes. Unfortunately, but the end of this, the ship was badly damage, as was my crew and myself."

Janeway nodded. "That's quite a story."

The girl eyed Janeway calculatingly. "You doubt what I said." It was not a question, it was a statement.

Janeway moved away from the force field. "I can not ignore the possibility that you are here as a trap."

"Ah yes, that would seem the most likely possibility, wouldn't it, Captain Janeway?" the girl asked.

"It would explain why your DNA is so...unique, and how four Borg, alone and outnumbered managed to survive several conflicts with the collective."

The girl had stiffened visibly at the mention of DNA, something not missed by the Captain or the Doctor, but the girl answered immediately. "I tell you truthfully Captain, I could care less about Voyager, or your crew. All I want is to get my crew as far away from Borg space, or even the mention of Borg as I can."

Janeway looked into the girls eyes, and saw a raw kind of sincerity. But the Captain still had her doubts. "I wish I could believe you..."

"But you won't risk putting your ship in danger by believing the word of a stranger and a potential threat," the girl finished, her expression holding a respect that was masked almost immediately. "Well Captain, once our ship is repaired, we will leave, and never bother you again. If it is your wish, we will remain here in your Sickbay. But I will not answer questions that do not concern your crew. That, I must make clear to you now."

Janeway nodded. She would accept that...for now. "One more question."

The younger girl waited.

"What is your name?"

The girl jerked very slightly, startled at the unexpected question. "I...my designation is One of Five."

Janeway nodded, and made to leave.

"But..."

Janeway turned back, inquiringly.

"But...I am called Eve."

Janeway nodded in acknowledgement, and left Sickbay.

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A/N: Thank you to Katieshaz (for your words of encouragement), Little (I am glad you like what I have written), Raptor - X (thanks for the support), Frek ( what do you think I need to revise, or tweek? I really want to get this right.) and Julie Kay (thanks for your review!). Take care every one.


	3. Chapter 3

Star Trek: Voyager is copyright Paramount and Viacom. I claim and own no rights to ST:V. No similarities to any other fics intended.

--

Star Trek: Voyager

Children of Circumstance

Chapter 3

Captain Janeway turned to the Senior Officers assembled around the Briefing Room. "There is something going on here, something very serious that they aren't telling us. The pieces are not completely coming together. These four individuals escape the Borg," she began, pacing the briefing table, "and from what Eve told me, they were chased halfway around the Delta Quadrant. But that still doesn't explain their biology, what they are doing here, or who they are. We have no facts, no real evidence that they have good intentions, and I, for one, am not ready to release them to wreak havoc on this quadrant as the Borg have. B'Elanna," Janeway prompted, "have you or the repair team been able to recover any data from the Grynnal database?"

B'Elanna nodded and stood. "Yes Captain, we have." She walked to the adjacent console and pressed a few commands. On the screen appeared the face of an alien, tan in color, with ridges on it's nose and cheeks. "The Grynnal 3 originally belonged to this species. The Borg designated them Species 8527, a nomadic race with advanced technology in genetics and computer science."

Janeway's eyebrows rose.

"The Borg discovered them a little over two years ago, and since then over two million have been assimilated, leaving only about half a million of their species remaining," B'Elanna finished.

"Anything about the four in sickbay?" Harry asked.

"Nothing conclusive. Species 8527 kept detailed records on every move they made. The encounter with the Borg, the attacks; it's all there. Unfortunately, the original crew of the Grynnal was assimilated in one of the original attacks, so there is no mention of the Borg children before they took the ship. However," B'Elanna told them, her voice shifting in excitement. "We were able to upload some recent logs left by Species 8527 that Eve and her crew managed to save. We have found two with references to the children." B'Elanna pushed a few buttons on the console, and on the screen appeared a tan face of Species 8527.

"We were saved by the Creations. It pains us that after all these centuries our technology is being used in such a way. But these four seem different. They have freed us, and have allowed us to contact a ship of our kind. Yet I am still not completely trusting of them. They are of the Borg. Such evil could only leak into their young."

The second and final log entry was more informative. "We have spoken to the one called Eve. She revealed to us the nature of their upbringing, and it shocks us. This Species 5618 must have been a true enemy of the Borg for them to have to go to such lengths for assimilation. It has become clear to us that these children are not children at all, but meant to be weapons, which saddens us more, for they were created for all the wrong reasons."

B'Elanna pushed a button, and the screen went black. "Apparently, our guests were not meant to be as quiet and helpful as they are being."

"Or," Tuvok reasoned, "they were. It could be a ploy to gain our trust and use us to continue to the Alpha Quadrant."

"But why help that species? Why not just abandon them?" B'Elanna asked.

"All good questions. And only they can answer that," Janeway responded, her expression hardening.

--

The Doctor approached Eve with his tricorder and scanned her body once again. He looked down at the readings and frowned. He paused to punch in several buttons, and scanned her again.

Eve and her crew watched him with silent amusement. All heads turned as the doors to Sickbay hissed open. Janeway strode into the room with Tuvok and a security officer. Her crew banded together, and Eve stood up from the biobed. "Is something wrong Captain."

Janeway ignored the question and looked to the Doctor. "Can you excuse us for a moment, Doctor?"

Nodding, the EMH walked into his office, allowing Janeway, Tuvok and the officer privacy. Janeway looked at the other three members of Eve's crew that she hadn't become acquainted with. "I see you are all in good health."

"Yes Captain," Eve replied, "Thanks of course to your doctor."

Janeway looked at the others. "And you all are...?"

The closest to Eve, a boy with black hair and clear blue eyes glanced at Janeway, his expression guarded. "Adam, designation Two of Five."

The only other girl bowed her blonde head in a mock salute, "Evara, designation Three of Five."

The last, a young boy with blonde hair and brown eyes stared at Tuvok, his face etched with curiosity. "Andrew, designation Four of Five."

Janeway gave them a smile that did not reach her eyes. "It is a pleasure, but it seems that we have a small problem."

Eve's eyebrow rose. "Do we?"

"Yes, four in fact," Janeway replied.

Evara smiled. "Ah!"

"We recovered the several logs from the Grynnal ship," Tuvok informed them, watching as several shifted almost unnoticeably.

"What logs?" Adam demanded. "There were no logs made after the assimilation of the original crew."

"Actually, those members of Species 8527 that you managed to bring aboard your vessel kept an extensive logbook. One held a particular reference to Species 5618," Janeway accused, her eyes shifting from Eve to the others, the latter children not meeting her eyes, "the Borg designation for humans. Care to explain what he meant?"

Adam glared over at Eve, whose chin had risen in defiance. Eve glanced over at Adam, and his brow furrowed. For several seconds there was a silent tug of war between them, with Janeway watching on, a frown on her face. Without a single word being spoken, they seemed to come to an agreement, and Eve looked at the others, who nodded. "We are willing to discuss everything with you, as long as you allow us to tell it all, without interruptions."

Janeway nodded. "Fine."

Eve took a small breath. "We were created over two years ago by the Borg on Unimatrix Zero One. After almost five hundred failed test experiments, I was the first born to their parameters of perfection for the plan they had conceived. Using the same procedures used to make me, they created four others, born of the same human cells. They were my genetic siblings, only our features were genetically changed to make each of us unique. Eye color and hair color was interchanged between us all. Within months the technology gained by Species 8527 allowed them to modify a maturation chamber for even faster accelerated growth spurts. Within a year we were complete, and in training for our mission."

"Which is?" Tuvok prompted evenly.

Eve shook her head violently, "It was to infiltrate Earth, the home planet of Species 5618 and slowly begin to destroy it from within. We possessed the capabilities of genetic re-sequencing, to make our implants literally disappear. As it is, our implants are undetectable to tricorders or any type of scans, and we were filled with the knowledge of countless species. However their experiments had a side affect they had not anticipated." Eve paused, her chest heaving slightly in agitation.

Janeway raised a brow in concern and confusion.

"Free will," Andrew answered her unvoiced question quietly.

Janeway and Tuvok looked over at the boy, and he smiled tentatively at them.

"Like humans," Eve continued, drawing their gazes back to her, "we possessed a will of our own. Connected to the hive, yet detached from their cause, we planned an escape from our prison. Six months ago, when the assimilation of a space colony belonging to Species 8527 began, the Borg were distracted and we escaped on Grynnal 3. Now that we were finally free we wanted to find a planet in a nearby system and continue our lives there. We realized," Eve called out, meeting the eyes of her brothers and sister with a small sad smile, "too late, that that might be impossible. The Borg will not stop trying to find us."

Janeway exhaled. "Are you finished?"

Eve nodded.

"So far I have found one inconsistency with your story. You say that after you were created, four more were created just like you, making that five. Yet only four of you are here," Janeway said.

Eve's eyes clouded in the first real show of emotion that Janeway had seen since she had come aboard. A grief so profound it could be felt coming off her in waves enveloped the girl. Janeway nearly placed a hand on Eve's shoulder in sympathy, but Evara answered her question, bringing Janeway back to her senses.

"The fifth, and youngest," Evara told her, moving beside Eve in a clear gesture of comfort, "did not survive past maturation."

Janeway frowned.

"You say you were engineered to destroy the human race. How were you to accomplish this?" Tuvok asked, pulling the room from the pit of unanswered and unvoiced emotion. Janeway moved away from the two girls, paced back to Tuvok, and glanced back.

"By entering into human society and discreetly causing major accidents and geological disasters using your technology. We were to be supplied with a viral agent that would attack the human body, slowly assimilating the entire world. In the crest of the chaos we created we would release the agent into your atmosphere," Andrew answered, avoiding Adam's gaze. "It was the modified viral agent shown to Seven of Nine when she was aboard the Queen's vessel. Though similar, the virus that would have been in our possession assimilated a species much faster. Approximately a nine-point-eight three percent increase to be exact."

"We estimate that the new agent would take only two years to fully assimilate anyone in Earth's atmosphere and less than five to contaminate the rest of the Federation," Evara informed them gravely.

"It seems," Adam called out contemptuously, "that their failed attempts at your species' assimilation has finally reached the end of their patience. Otherwise, why would they have gone through the trouble of creating us?"

"Adam!" Eve admonished. Adam merely glowered back at her.

"Why indeed?" Tuvok replied, ignoring the boy's tone and sharing a glance with the Captain.

Janeway did not respond, instead her face was pulled in concentration. "Two years ago; that was around the time of the conflict between the Borg and Species 8472."

The four Borg adolescents flinched, but Janeway went on, not noticing. "They must have been creating you when we approached them for the alliance."

"The Borg began the experiments on Star Date 51013.2. It was not long after you made the alliance," Evara supplied. "The plan was put into motion after Species 8472 returned to fluidic space."

"One threat neutralized, the other soon to be as well," Tuvok said.

"That was the idea," Adam acknowledged.

Janeway smiled. "So you four were going to be the ones to bring the human race to it's end?"

"Yes," Eve answered honestly.

"So how do I know that you won't still try to destroy Earth?" Janeway asked warily.

Eve shrugged. "We have no proof in our defense. It would seem, Captain, the only option either of us has, is to trust one another."

"I am not completely ready to trust you just yet," Janeway responded, her voice almost harsh. Without another word, she nodded to the security officer, who posted himself near the sickbay door, and she and Tuvok left.

--

Janeway blew into her Ready Room, the computer barely openning quick enough to let her enter without hitting the sliding doors. She was followed by Tuvok who stood at attention in front of her desk while Janeway paced back and forth, and Chakotay who stood beside him, following her listless circle with his eyes. Her agigitated movements ceased in front of her sitting area windows. She stared out of them, watching the stars flare by in a steady rhythm.

Chakotay studied her in silence for several moments before calling out softly, "Captain?"

"Children Chakotay," she replied softly, unaware of Chakotay nodding solemnly.

"Since our first encounter with the Borg I have seen them as a threat, a danger, almost evil personified. But underneath them all, somewhere, some of them had once been alive. Beings capable of conscience. When I see how Seven has progressed, how she has become a valued member of this crew..." She continued pacing.

"Sometimes its hard to forget that the Borg aren't a normal race. They are...different. They are concerned only with the assimilation of new technology, data, new species. The Borg are merciless, pitiless..." Chakotay attempted to find the correct word.

"Inhuman," Janeway finished for him quietly. "How could the Queen, and I damn well know it was her, create four children to do this?"

"Is it really so surprising?" Chakotay asked. "Children are born into the Borg collective every day. How is this so different?"

"Perhaps not so different, however, it does suggest a personal vendetta against the human race. The Borg seems to view humans as a major threat, an assumption that could only have intensified from our numerous encounters," Tuvok mused.

Janeway turned to them, and leaned against the railing of the rest area. Everything she had learned over the past few hours was spinning in her head. A part of her wanted to believe that Eve and her siblings were no threat, but another part of her was equating the dangers of having them aboard, regardless as to the threat they represented in themselves. She had a responsibily to her crew, to protect them. Having these children aboard her ship made them a target for the Borg, whether or not their remarkable story was true. Either way the Borg would come after_ Voyager _with a vengence, and that was a situation she was desperate to avoid. _Voyager_ had managed to defeat the Borg on numerous occasions, the crew battling with every fiber of their beings. Even so, there were only so many battles this ship would endure before they would fold. The possiblity of defeat was something she refused to imagine, but they were one ship against millions of Borg. The odds were not in their favor.

"Children should be concieved to create a new beginning for the universe, not destroy it," Janeway said sharply. "I don't want them to set one foot out of sickbay until I have some answers, and until that time they are to be considered a threat. If they so much as cough in a threatening manner I want them transported to their ship and left to drift in space. Understood?"

"Yes Captain," they answered swiftly.

"I want Seven in charge of them. Being the only resident former Borg, she at least can relate to them on that level. Dismissed."

--

_'What did you sense?' _Evara asked Andrew silently, the subconcious message traveling from her frontal lobe implants to his.

_'The Vulcan was emotionless of course, quite intriguing really. Even we are capable of emotion. We hide it beneath a facade as taught from birth, but Vulcans-' _Andrew began, only to be interuppted by a furious thought-voice instantly followed by the molten hot prickles of anger.

_'Forget the Vulcan! We have more serious problems. In all the billions of species in the Delta Quadrant, we had to run into the very ship, the _only_ ship, with humans aboard. We have to escape!' _Adam fairly shouted out to each of them.

_'Escape to where? We have spent the past six months trying to be one step ahead of the Borg, and we have only just succeeded in that. I am not going to risk the safety of our family simple because you are getting a little trigger happy!' _Eve countered angrily.

'I_ am getting trigger happy? It doesn't take some half-breed Betazoid,' _he gestured wildly at Andrew, who looked away, _'to know that these people are not going to help us. If we are lucky they will release us into space only to be hunted down like dogs by the Borg. No race has been willing to help us, they will be no different.'_

_'It was the choice we all made when we decided to leave the collective. We knew the risk going into this. The Borg are a powerful and deadly enemy, there are few who would go out of their way to anger them,' _Eve responded calmly.

_'If you had only let us use our abilities to take command of the Nurian Fleet, we would have more fire power than-_' Adam snapped at her, his thought-voice buzzing sharply in Eve's mind, only to be interuppted furiously.

_'NO! If we assimilated that fleet, even on such a small scale, we would be no better than the Borg! I will not have those people's lives on my hands!'_ Evara inserted, her pale face nearly red in her intensity.

_'Well, Evara, here is some data you seem to be unable to process: we are Borg! Regardless as to how much you or Eve wish to maintain your humanity, the fact of the matter is, we were born Borg, we will live Borg and we will die Borg,'_ Adam snarled at her, his thoughts sending lightning pulses of heat into her head, _'No one, not Captain Janeway, not the Federation and certainly not some derelict races in _any_ quardrant are ever going to let us forget it, even if we choose to deny it.'_

_'We can rise above our beginnings,' _Evara insisted.

_'Not if we are never allowed to forget them,' _Adam jeered at Evara, smiling smugly as she rose from her biobed and proceeded toward him, anger sparking in her eyes.

_'That is enough,'_ Eve interceded, moving between them and placing her hands at each to ward them off. She glanced over and the two security officers stationed by the door. They were regarding them with varying degrees of skepticizism. '_We will get nowhere if we continue to fight amongst ourselves. Our first priority should be to get off this ship. As long as we are here, the people aboard are in danger. She will never let us go. If she finds out that Voyager has us, her vengence will be swift. We have to leave before this crew,'_ she glanced at Andrew and Adam, before returning her gaze to her sister, _'especially one person in this crew discovers exactly what she has done. Agreed?'_

_'Agreed_,' Evara thought softly.

_'Agreed,' _Adam and Andrew seconded wearily.

"Are you ready for your clinical check ups?" the Doctor asked cheerfully, exiting his office and walking towards them with his hands clasped together. Eve smiled. She could tell that his program was delighted over the chance to study a new discovery of genetics and mechanical biology.

"Of course Doctor," Andrew conceded gently, and stepped forward. "I volunteer to be the first."

"Excellent," the Doctor beamed, and motioned Andrew to proceed him to the surgical bed.

Eve strode forward to watch, giving the Doctor enough space. Her body stiffened slightly and then slumped down. Evara moved to stand behind her.

_'What is it?' _Evara thought-spoke, concerned.

_'We may have to leave here sooner than we thought. Prepare an escape scenario,'_ she ordered.

_'Of course, but I may not be able to ensure that we won't have to hurt people to escape_,' Evara told her.

_'Understood. Do what you have to, but we must prepare, quickly.'_

_'Why?' _Andrew asked, ignoring the Doctor as the hologram scanned him thoroughly.

_'It would seem our brethren are going to be back sooner than we all had anticipated_,' Eve informed them, sighing heavily.

_'How long do we have?'_ Adam asked stonily.

_'I don't know, but not very long_,' Eve answered. _'Prepare yourselves_.'

_'Acknowledged_.'

--

A/N: Hope you all liked this chapter, and the changes I made...Please R/R!


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